I'm Still Here
by Nights Sleepless
Summary: End to a scene from "Bound", so naturally, spoilers. Bolivia, of course. Ratings for minor language. Enjoy&Review.


So, that episode was pretty awesome, right? A lil bit of Bolivia, especially when he said he cared about her and she got all flustered. That was so adorable. So, I had to add that into the beginning. Basically, this is just the true end to a scene. The one where she's argueing with Peter about if what Mitch said was true about saving her. A little angsty, a little fluff. I enjoyed writing it._

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_"I care about you..." His words came with such a surprise, Olivia instantly stopped and turned around to look at him. His eyes were shadowed against the light, his face was absolutely serious. This wasn't a joke, a sarcastic remark to try to convey to her what he really meant without the awkwardness. No, his words were firm, emphasizing it was him specifically who cared about her. He wasn't bothering to hide it with saying his father and him, or the bureau and him. He cared. Even Walter was surprised, glancing up as a sly smile spread across his face. But, before Olivia could start a deep blush, Peter was speaking again. "If we can figure out why they needed you, then maybe we can figure out who's next."_

_Glancing at Walter, trying to mask the disappointment that strangely spread through her, she watched as he looked back down at the slug-like-thing. Taking a breath, she nodded and turned back towards Peter. "Well, I'm going to keep looking for someone who's connected to Kinburg and...Simon." She faltered the last name, and mentally kicked herself for the way she kept glancing back at Walter instead of having to look Peter in the eyes. Especially when Walter clearly had lost interest in them and was closely inspecting the slug._

_Quickly turning on her heel, she headed down the hallway, well aware of Peter's eyes burning a hole in her back._

Leaning her head against the wall, she let this memory play through her head. As the door across the hall opened, she quickly opened her eyes and straightened her posture, turning to see Broyles and Charlie emerge. Moving to stand in front of them, she listened as Broyles told her to go home and get some rest. Olivia just nodded and thanked him, watching the two leave. Her hand moving to run tiredly over her forehead, she instantly turned around when a voice spoke.

"He's right. You should get home."

Peter looked at her, humorously. His eyes were bright, hoping to get a cheerful response out of her. But instead, seeing him just reminded her of everything that had happened that day, and she tried not to frown deeply. "Wha-what did he mean he saved me?" She asked confused. "What the hell is that?

"He was messing with you," Peter replied with the slightest shake of his head, as if it was obvious. But Olivia wasn't convinced. The way Mitch had looked at her...the tone of his voice. She had been trained on how to identify when someone was lying. And he had no tells.

"I don't know. I mean, did you see him? There was something about the way he said that." She was desperate to make him understand. To see what she had seen in that man eyes.

"The man's insane, Olivia," He replied, again in the tone that insisted she was blind for not seeing this. Glancing to Walter, again using him as an excuse not to look at Peter.

"I can cur in the category 'it takes one to know one'. That man did seem disturbed." Walter chirped in, having seen her attention. He nodded solemnly.

"Then why take me?" Olivia persisted, looking again back at Peter.

"Because they wanted to hurt you. They knew that you were investigating them, they wanted to take you out." His voice was becoming more and more firm, and she realized he really wanted her to believe this. He knew her all too well. He knew if she continued to think that what Mitch had said meant something, she wouldn't stop till she knew what. That meant lack of sleep, or rest. That meant straining her humanity, too determined to stop for a minute. She had done it today, and he just wanted her to slow down.

"Then why not just kill me?" But Olivia wouldn't let this rest.

"You're talking about a man who infected people with a giant virus. If you hadn't escaped, who knows what they would have done to you." As the fear from before washed over her, she lowered her head and looked down at the ground. He was right about that one. They could have killed her, or worse. "Look, listen to me," He said softly, tilting his head and leaning down to attract her attention again. When she glanced up at him, he continued. "You just told him that you killed his wife. He said that to try to get a reaction out of you. To get to you. Let it go. You got his confession. Go home." He said the last two words softly, urging her to listen to him.

"I was worried too...when you were taken." Walter told her, quietly. Her eyes flickered to him, but this time, found their way back to Peter's quickly.

"Thank you, Walter," She thanked, even though she was looking at Peter. Sighing, she pushed past him and began to walk down the hallway, her shoes echoing against the tile. She could hear Walter and Peter close behind her, Walters voice eager as he said something to annoy Peter, and his son's low growl of a reply. All she wanted to do was go home, hang out with her sister and play with her niece. Eventually falling into a deep sleep that would take away the stress from that day. Only to wake up to it the next morning.

As she pushed opened the doors leading outside, she heard Peter toss Walter the keys. "Turn the car on, but don't you dare try to drive it again. I'll be right there, I'm just going to walk Liv to her car." Olivia glanced over her shoulder, and swear she caught Walter winking at Peter. Shaking her head, she tried to mask the annoyance when Peter quickly caught up to her. She could find her own way to her car, she wasn't eighty years old. She expected him to try to bring the subject of Mitch again.

But to her surprise he was completely silent, slipping his jacket on and shoving his hands in his pockets. Eyeing her SUV, just yards away, she focused on the sound of their feet. But the silence was unbearable. "Thank you, Peter." She said after a moment.

"Walking you to your car? No problem. I just wanted to make sure you actually got in it, instead of faking us and going back inside as soon as I leave." He explained, chuckling. Normally she would have been annoyed with him, but instead she laughed as well. That sounded like something she might do.

Shaking her head as she pulled her keys from her pocket, she spoke. "No, I mean for being worried earlier..._really_ worried." She added with humor and smiling, remembering what Walter had said when they had been in the car earlier. She waited till she was at her car to turn around and look at him. He was smiling, but his eyes were so intense, she was caught off guard.

"You would be worried too if you suddenly found out I was missing." He said. Olivia shrugged and looked away with a bored look. Laughing he stepped closer. "Oh come on, that just hurts." He joked and she laughed, looking back at him. Surprised at how close that step had taken him, she leaned back against the car.

"Peter-" She began to say something about how she should get going when he cut her off.

"Liv...I do care about you," He told her and she blinked. "And not just because with you we could figure out who would be next."

She had to look away from the truth and sincerity in his eyes. Looking over at the road on the other side of the parking lot, she watched the cars drive by. Feeling a hand on her arm, she slowly looked back at him and his hand slipped off her. She desperately wished she could say the right thing. What the right thing to do was. Would it be confessing she too cared about him? Or letting him down? "I...I know." She answered, nodding. "Thank you." His hand reached out, but fell short, and landed on her arm again, briefly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

After a moment of him staring at her, he finally nodded. "Yeah. See you later." Turning from him, she opened the car door and slipped inside. "Drive safe." He told her, closing the car door. Nodding, she turned the car on and buckled her seat belt. Tearing her eyes away from the steering wheel, she chanced a look out the side window. But he was already halfway across the parking lot.

Her hand inched towards the button that would roll the window down. But, she couldn't bring herself to press it. Couldn't make her mouth open to call him back to her. Besides, he was already getting into his own car. Not wanting him to think she was stalling, she pulled out of the parking space and towards the parking exit. Stopping, waiting for the right moment to cut into the traffic, she saw his lights flood the inside of her car.

Peering into the side mirror, she saw him smile widely, and give her a small wave. Biting down on her lip to suppress the smile, she simply nodded to him. She watched him look away, and turn to say something to Walter. The red light from her tail-lights were lighting his face up, and the shadows danced across his cheek. He smiled at something, and she couldn't help but notice the way his eyebrows raised and he was subconsciously tapping the steering wheel. She was so lost in trying to figure out what beat he was tapping, she didn't notice how long she had been stopped there. Coming to her senses, she instantly hit the gas, nearly colliding with another car. "Shit." She muttered as the car gave a loud and long honk.

Glancing back into the mirror, she saw Peter laughing at her. While her face grew hot, she quickly tried again to pull out into the street again, this time successful. As she turned one way, and Peter pulled out in the opposite direction, Olivia felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, she used the other to pull her cell phone out. She felt a little thrill go up her spine when she saw she had a message from Peter.

_Sorry I'm so distracting ;)_

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I debated for a long time whether or not Peter would use a smiley, and decided that I thought he should. It makes it cuter. So, what did you think?


End file.
